The Project
This automated assembly line served as the inaugural capital project following the strategic integration of Capital Industries into the Acieta organization. The line is currently operational and in high-volume production, delivering critical chassis and suspension components for the Chevrolet Bolt.
As a key member of the deployment team, I led the mechanical design and implementation of several high-traffic stations. The completed suspension assemblies are palletized and delivered JIT (Just-In-Time) to the adjacent General Motors Kansas City assembly plant.
Technical Contributions
- Station Design: Engineered the Rear Shock Assembly station, optimizing for ergonomic cycle times and safety.
- Lift Assists: Designed and implemented custom coil-over lift assists and overhead gantry systems.
- Vendor Coordination: Acted as the primary technical liaison for gantry systems sourced from Unified Industries.
- Vision Integration: Collaborated with the vision team to integrate Keyence-based quality checks at every critical assembly milestone.
Visual Documentation
CAD Analysis: SolidWorks design of the rear shock assembly station and detailed strut geometry.
Engineering Validation: SolidWorks FEA (Finite Element Analysis) drove critical design hardening and material decisions for component longevity.
Engineering Validation (Cont.): SolidWorks FEA (Finite Element Analysis) drove critical design hardening and material decisions for component longevity.
Production Validation: Rear shock station nearing completion. This cell maintains high-volume production of active assemblies.
Infrastructure: Custom-designed lift assists integrated with overhead gantry systems for ergonomic part manipulation.
Vendor Integration: Heavy-duty overhead gantries sourced and integrated via technical liaison with Unified Industries.
Quality Assurance: Multi-step vision inspection arrays for production quality verification and traceability.
System Overview: Full-scale bird's-eye view of the integrated multi-station assembly line.